St Ives, Cornwall (location of footloose industry)

Thank you to the Crossley family for sending this postcard from St Ives, on the north coast of Cornwall. The gorgeous beach isn’t the only attraction; St Ives has some of the mildest winters and warmest summers in Britain, and above average sunshine hours, due to its southern latitude and maritime climate benefiting from the warm currents brought by the North Atlantic Drift.

St Ives is home to many artists, past and present. Sculptor Barbara Hepworth lived here with her husband, the artist Ben Nicholson. You can visit her Trewyn studio which is now held by the Tate St Ives and called the Barbara Hepworth Museum.

In many respects art could be considered a footloose industry, however perhaps artists cluster here because of the natural features such as the quality of the sunlight, or the inspiration provided by the landscape and the sea.